


Fate

by qu33nb33



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Families of Choice, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-07-15 05:32:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16056539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qu33nb33/pseuds/qu33nb33
Summary: If you could change one of the most important moments of your life, would you?What if you knew it meant nothing would be the same? Would you meet your long lost mom if, in return, you never got to meet your newly found sister?HDLW are about to make that decision.





	Fate

**Author's Note:**

> ngl i teared up writing this

They could meet their mom. They could grow up with her, be happy together, be a family. All you had to do was accept the changes presented to you. 

You looked at the image before you. The window to an alternate present made your heart feel like it had been torn to shreds. You should be happy for them. Not only was there time travel and adventure, but they could have their mom back. They would never even know they had lost her, once. And you would never remember you had found them.

Alternate-present-you was still alone. While there wasn't a rift between Della and Scrooge, that didn't mean the boys were around. You had hoped--it was selfish. You knew that. Just because Della existed didn't mean you were--that you would--

The point was, you weren't involved in their lives. You were alone again. Not that you ever remembered them in the first place because, with Della never leaving, you never met. You didn't have any brothers, or any uncles for that matter. You had a granny that did her best, and you had a stuffed bunny that you told all of your secrets to.

Your mind flashed to Lena. Maybe you had her. You hoped you did. You hoped that the alternate universe you at least had her. Maybe you could still save her by yourself--

All you had to do was agree. You would never remember that you were friends with the boys. You wouldn't have this ache in your chest at the thought of never seeing them again. This feeling, this dread and shame, it was temporary. Once you let go of it, it would be gone.

But you didn't want to let go. You had a family now. You had three brothers and two uncles and a pilot. Alternate-you didn't. You felt bad for her--for you, but you that's not you, at least not yet.

You're crying. Of course you're crying, it  _hurts._ Everything you'd done had lead to this moment. From tracking down everything about Della with Dewey, to Scrooge yelling at you on the plane, to your pledge as siblings to never give up. There was always a way, for the McDucks.

Were you still a McDuck?

Suddenly there's a shift in gravity and you feel like your stomach tried to travel to your brain. Then, you're back on the ground. There's grass underneath your feet. The boys are crying, too.

"We couldn't, we--" Dewey grabs you, roughly, and there are three pairs of arms and three crying boys around you. "You're family. We can't--There has to be a way to have both of you. We're not trading."

You cry louder out of relief. You're all crying, loudly, more like babies than children who found their way into a magic temple, but none of you care. You realize that maybe you weren't being selfish, after all. You just wanted your family to be together and to be happy. You're very, very grateful that they didn't trade you. 

You remember what it was like, before them. It wasn't bad, but it was so, so lonely. You hadn't felt that lonely since then. Even all the times they seemed to get along more with each other than with you, it wasn't the same kind of lonely that made you wonder if anyone would ever be your friend. Not only were they your friends, but they were your  _brothers._

They would have fought to found you, too. If you had gone missing, they would never stop looking. And you know without a doubt you would do the same for them.

It still hurts, to think about a universe where you never met. You want to reach out to the other you and tell her it would be okay. That she'd be happy. If there was a way, all of you would have brought her back, too. Two Webby's would hardly be odd compared to everything else you've handled.

You talk about that on the walk back. You're not even sure the other Webby is real, and you're not about to actually start searching for her without that evidence. But it makes you want to cry again when Huey says that, given the chance, they should try. You realize that he wants to help a version of you that none of you even know, just because it's you. 

"She'll be okay." Surprisingly, it's Louie that speaks up. "You're tough, Webs. I'm sure you'd get along just fine without us."

You have trouble talking for a minute because, wow, that thought is incredibly painful. "I don't want to know if I would." is all you can say, and they understand. None of you will really be the same, after that. You all know what you could have lost--more than what you could have gained. The search for Della hasn't stopped, but it's more cautious now.

You're careful not to lose what you have in search of what you lost.


End file.
